Article handling apparatus



Filed Aug. l2, 1936 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES ARTICL HANDLING APPARATUS William George Jahn, Gary, Ind.

Application August 12, 1936, Serial No. 95,653

3V Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for handling materials.

An object of this invention resides in an apparatus mounted `on a self-propelled vehicle adapted to readily receive and/or discharge heavy vehicle which may be of any standard design,.

but is, shown as a standard electrically driven vehicle.

The vehicle is provided with a horizontally disposed platform comprising spaced beam members 4, extending longitudinally of theu vehicle frame and rigidly secured thereto and intermediate short-beamfmembers 5. The beam memy 2 bers 5 extend to a point substantially beyond the middle of the vehicle platform, and are parallel to the beam members 4.

Operating rollers 6, mounted upon the beam members 4 at one end of the vehicle, are posi- 'tioned transversely with respect to the platform and comprise the feeding or discharging end of `the vehicle platform. Non-driven, freely rotating rollers 'l are positioned between the beam members 5 and comprise the rear end of the platform adjacent the vehicle 2.

The vehicle is propelledy by a motor' (not shown), which motor also serves to drive the operating rollers 6 by means ofthe endless chain 8, double sprocket 9 and chain I2 which drives shaft I3 through sprocket wheel I4. The roll# f ers 6' are provided with sprockets I5 and are driven in unison with said shaft I3 by means of the interconnected chain I6 and sprockets I5, as shown in Figure 1.

For simplicity of. construction Aand operation, the positively rotated rollers 6 extend between the outer beams 4, while the idling non-driven rollers 'l are confined .Within the short longitudi nal beam members 5, as shown, and do not necessarily span the entire area of the vehicle platform between the outer beam members 4.

In operation, the vehicle 2 with its attached roller bed 8 is brought into alignment with a horizontally disposed roller conveyer l1. Resting on top of the roller conveyor I1 is apile or pack of material, such as superimposed sheet metal I8, resting on parallel longitudinally extending skids I9. The height of the vertical roller bed 6 should be in horizontal alignment with the conveyer rollers Il as the end of the vehicle 2 abuts 5 the discharge end of the conveyer rollers I'l and, in such position, the pack I8 is now ready to be transferred onto the roller bed 6,. as shown in,. Figure 2. v I

A switch lever 20, on the operators end of the l0 vehicle 2, is then shifted in any convenient manner to operate the vehicle motor (not shown) for rotating the rollers 6 in a clockwise direction. In. order to initially advance the stacked materialj on the skids I 9 to engage at least one of the rotat- 15 v ing rollers 6, the conveyer rollers I'l`, which constitute a platform unit, are tilted slightly thereby permitting the skid to move onto at least one of the rollers 6. The rotating rollers 6 then transfer the stacked material from the conveyer roll- 20 ers I1 onto the vehicle platform, after which the switch lever 2U is shifted to a neutral position to stop rotation of the rollers 6.

The vehicle 2 with its load disposed thereon is then driven to any desired location and during 25 t the transit of the vehicle, the pile I8 is prevented from shifting therefrom by virtue vof the rollers 6 being stationary and serving as a braking unit for any possible movement of the skids I9 thereon. When the vehicle 2 and its load has reached 30 its destination, the load is discharged by first aligning the end of the vehicle with a suitable roller receiving platform. l Switch lever 20 is then `operated to cause the rollers 6 to be positively ment of the stacked material with a minimum 45 1 of time delay and substantially total-absence of manual labor.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited exactly 50 thereto, since various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim: i

1. An apparatus for handling packs, piles and 55 the like, comprising a self-propelled vehicle, a platform mounted on said vehicle and conveyer means mounted Within said platform, said conveyer means including one or more positively driven rolls adjacent the end of said platform and a plurality of short non-driven rolls rearwardly of said driven rolls, all of said rolls being parallel to one another and at right angles to said moving pack or pile.

2. An apparatus for handling packs of sheet metal or the like comprising a self-propelled vehicle having means at one end by which the operator controls its movement and having a platform comprising rolls at the end opposite to the operator Which can be driven in either direction to load or unload the platform and having also relatively short free rolls at the end near the operator for facilitating movement of the load free rolls positioned between the side frames of the vehicle and beam members extending longitudinally of said vehicle and parallel to the side frames.

3. An apparatus for handling packs of sheet metal or the like comprising a self-propelled vehicle having means at one 'end by which the operator controls its movement and having a platform, said platform including short beam members extending longitudinally of said vehicle to a point substantially beyond the middle of said Vehicle platform and parallel to side beam members of said platform, a plurality of driven rolls adjacent the end opposite to the operator and a plurality of short non-driven rolls extending from a point substantially beyond the middle of said platform to a point adjacent the end near the operator, said short non-driven rolls positioned between the side frames and short beam members.

WILLIAM GEORGE JAHN. 

